


A Night to Remember

by AbschaumNo1



Series: Back to You [4]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Andrew Shaw is a sap, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 03:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14155398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: Andrew surprises Brent for his thousandth NHL game





	A Night to Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 1000 NHL games to Brent Seabrook!   
> And what a game that 1000th one was right? Which is incidentally my excuse for not getting this done closer to the actual game btw...  
> Please note that I did a switcheroo on the Habs' schedule and turned the away game in Pittsburgh into a home game for them for my own (and Andrew's and Brent's and their kids') convenience.  
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> Title from 'A Night to Remember' by Bryan Adams

Brent’s one thousandth NHL game happens on the same day that Andrew has to be in Montreal for the Habs’ official team photo. Brent won’t say a word about it, but Andrew knows that he’s kind of sad that Andrew won’t be there. And well, Andrew himself is a little wistful because this means he can’t bring the kids along for the photo with the families, but it’s not like it can be helped.

Helen from PR actually pouts at him when he breaks the news to her, which makes Andrew laugh. She’s been eager to be able to show a little more of him with the kids, and Andrew would be glad to indulge her, if only because it would mean they’re in Montreal with him, but it is as it is. He jokes that he could always bring his dogs to stand in for the photo, but she just rolls her eyes at him for that. She’s right, it wouldn’t be the same.

The original plan had been for Andrew to fly down to Chicago the morning after playing Detroit and to get back to Montreal in time for the game against Pittsburgh, but with him being put on concussion protocol after getting hit in the head, and the team photo on top of that they had decided not to go ahead with that, hard as it was. Brent had been a little disappointed, when Andrew had talked to him, but he had made a good effort not to show it and told Andrew that his health was more important than being there for the mile stone game.

The thing is though, that Andrew knows himself, and he knows they’re being cautious because he has a history of head injuries and being dumb about them. It’s completely warranted, especially after the way he acted last summer, but he’s feeling well, no hint of actual concussion symptoms plaguing him. So he got on the phone with Liz (and Hawks PR and Habs PR) and they started planning.

“How much of a PR disaster would it be if I turned up at a game in Chicago even though I’m officially still on concussion protocol?” he asks Helen when he first talks to her about it.

She shrugs. “Not much. Especially not if you turn up for the team photo earlier in the day. There’s going to be some sort of fallout, but that’s to be expected either way.”

“So you wouldn’t kill me if I get on a plane after the team photo and get my ass down to Chicago to surprise my husband for his big game?”

“Jesus no. We’ve got the tweet pretty much drafted already. You can see it if you want to. And I’ve coordinated with the Blackhawks PR office as well. You called them yet?”

“I’ll let you surprise me,” Andrew says with a laugh. “And I was about to. I just wanted to check in with you before I do.”

“As you should.”

 

And so Andrew leaves a little earlier than he usually would, once they’re done with the team photo stuff, and it has turned into everyone chatting with each other. He calls Brent on his way to the airport.

“Hey, what did they say?” he asks when he picks up, voice warm and fond.

Andrew smiles. “Well, I’m still not off the hook, but they sound more positive than they did last time.”

“That’s good then.”

“You ready for your big game?”

“Well I gotta be, don’t I?”

“You’ll do great.”

“Thanks. You gonna be watching?”

“Of course,” Andrew laughs. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything, even if I can’t be there in person.”

“I’m sure you’ll get all the details from Carter and Kenzie.”

“I’m sure I will.”

“You wanna talk to them now?”

“Yeah. The Gallys made some noises about coming over, so maybe right now would be better.” It’s not a complete lie, the Gallys had really offered to come over to watch the game together, and it gives him a convenient excuse why he can’t talk to the kids later.

“They’re coming right up then.”

There’s a bit of indistinctive talking and then Brent switches his phone to speaker and there’s Carter’s and Kenzie’s excited voices saying hello.

“Hey guys,” Andrew says warmly.  “How’s it going?”

“Daddy’s got a big game today!” Carter says.

“You gonna cheer him on real hard tonight, aren’t you? You too Kenzie, right?”

There’s a resounding yes from both of them, right before Kenzie launches into a story about hanging out with Keith and their grandparents and how they took everyone to the zoo.

It’s enough to fill the time until he arrives at the airport, and when he hangs up after promising the kids to cheer extra hard for Brent since he’s watching in Montreal, he really can’t wait to get to Chicago and see them.

 

Some front office intern he doesn’t know gets to pick him up from O’Hare and sneak him into the UC. It’s still early and he has to wait in an office, but the intern gets him dinner and Lehky offers to play a few rounds of Words with Friends with him to pass the time after they text back and forth a bit. It’s still a whole long while of waiting but it’s not the worst thing. Then the door finally opens and Andrew barely has time to get up before Kenzie and Carter come barrelling in and tackle hug him.

“You’re here, daddy!” Kenzie says, eyes big and Andrew smiles at her.

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but I wanted to surprise you. And we’re all gonna surprise your dad, okay?”

Both kids nod eagerly, and Andrew finally gets to say hello to the others, who are coming in at a much more leisurely pace. Liz immediately hands Dylan off to him, who’s excited to see him, and immediately latches onto him. He’s been feeling like he hasn’t been around enough for her, so her being this excited to see him still feels amazing.

He sits back down with Dylan on his lap and explains to the kids how exactly they’re going to surprise Brent.

 

Andrew gets the same custom Seabrook jersey the kids get and damn, there’s something nostalgic about wearing the Indian head on his chest again. He loves Montreal, but he’s made so many amazing memories in Chicago, it’ll always be special to wear a Blackhawks jersey.

Everyone else gets to go ahead, while Andrew stays back until the coast is clear for him to walk out and do his part in the show. He smiles as he listens to the video tribute playing on the jumbotron, he’s seen it already, and he’s fairly sure that Brent’s a little embarrassed to see all his greatest moments replayed for everyone to see right now.

There’s a short speech and then they finally announce Andrew and the applause somehow goes from loud to deafening. Andrew walks out via the Blackhawks bench, to shoulder claps and smiles from the guys, and then he sees Brent, who’s turning towards him already, surprise and wonder and so much happiness all playing across his face in the few moments it takes Andrew to walk to him, the silver stick Brent’s getting for his thousandth game in his hands, that Andrew can’t help the sappy grin that spreads over his own face. And Andrew’s used to Brent being taller than him, but he’s actually towering over him with the skates added. Andrew feels dwarfed by him, but there’s no time to ponder that because Brent’s wrapping an arm around him and bending down for a quick kiss. They smile at each other when they part and once the press photo is done, Andrew walks over to stand with their family, taking Dylan from her grandmother to watch the rest of the ceremony.

Duncs and Kaner get to unveil a painting commemorating the occasion, and the Hawks gift their whole family with a week-long vacation at Disney World. Brent pulls him close, wrapping his arm tightly around Andrew when they all join him for the family photo. Andrew leans into him all the way through the photo and the national anthems, and when he has to move away so they can go up to the press box to watch the game, Brent quickly leans down for another short kiss.

Andrew smiles up at him fondly, and squeezes his hand once. “Go get them,” he says.

“Just for you,” Brent says, smiling just as fondly.

They’ll celebrate later, when there’s more time, but right now Brent’s got a hockey game to play.


End file.
